Soil aerator

ABSTRACT

A soil aeration apparatus may include aeration tines that are actuated by a relatively compact gear system that reduces the size and weight of the apparatus. In addition, a soil aeration apparatus may operate without a centrally disposed support shaft, thus enabling the tine-holder shafts to be positioned closer to one another and reducing the size of the apparatus.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation application of U.S. application Ser. No.11/244,898, filed Oct. 6, 2005 by Scott W. Bjorge et al. and entitled“Soil Aerator,” which is a continuation application of U.S. applicationSer. No. 10/638,953 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,617), filed Aug. 11, 2003by Scott W. Bjorge et al. and entitled “Soil Aerator,” the entiredisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Soil aeration is a conventional technique used by groundskeepers toreduce compaction in the ground soil, stimulate plant growth, andpromote proper drainage. Soils may become compacted from overuse orenvironmental effects, which ultimately affects the soil permeabilityand development of rooted plants within the soil. In particular,compacted soil restricts the amount of oxygen that can enter the soiland the amount of carbon dioxide that can escape. Not all grounds areaffected equally by overuse and environmental factors. The amount ofcompaction depends soil texture, the amount of vegetation, and themoisture content of the soil. Periodic soil aeration relieves thecompaction in the soil before the negative effects overburden the soilto the point that it can no longer support desirable vegetation.

In general, soil aerators have aeration tubes that penetrate the groundand remove “plugs” of soil. The aeration tubes are typically carried onbars or racks that are affixed to a rotary member. The rotor, racks, andassociated gear hardware are typically large, bulky, and heavy. Theoverall dimensions and weight of the aeration device are accordinglyincreased. That, in turn, necessitates the use of relatively largetractors with large displacement engines. Consequently, most aerationdevices are expensive to operate and ill-suited for residential, lightcommercial, or rental use.

SUMMARY

A soil aeration apparatus may include aeration tines that are actuatedby a relatively compact gear system, which reduces the size and weightof the aeration apparatus. In an illustrative embodiment, a soilaeration apparatus includes at least two tine-holder shafts rotatablymounted to a carrier and aeration tines attached to each shaft. Theapparatus may also include a gear system for rotating the tine-holdershafts while the tine-holder shafts revolve about a central axis of thecarrier. The gear system may have a planetary gear coupled to eachtine-holder shaft and a sun gear axially aligned with the central axissuch that each sun gear engages a plurality of planetary gears.

In various embodiments, a soil aeration apparatus may operate without acentrally disposed support shaft, thus enabling the tine-holder shaftsto be positioned closer to one another and reducing the size of theapparatus. In one illustrative embodiment, a soil aeration apparatus mayinclude a carrier rotatably attached to a frame such that the carrier isrotatable about a central axis. The apparatus may also include first andsecond two tine-holder shafts rotatably mounted to the carrier andaeration tines attached to each shaft. A non-centrally located supportshaft may be coupled to the carrier and offset from the central axis andmounted to the carrier. The first and second shafts may be offset fromthe central axis such that the tines are operative to move through thecentral axis without interference from another tine or shaft.

The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth inthe accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features,objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a soil aeration apparatus in accordancewith an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a frame for housing the soil aerationapparatus of FIG. 1, with certain components of the frame removed.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a soil aeration apparatus in accordancewith another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the soil aeration apparatus of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a frame for housing the soil aerationapparatus of FIG. 4, with a side panel removed from the frame.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the soil aeration apparatus of FIG. 1and the soil aeration apparatus of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7A-C are side views of a soil aeration tine forming an aerationpocket in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the soil aeration apparatus of FIG. 3 inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the soil aeration apparatus of FIG. 3 inaccordance with yet another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an aeration tine that may be used witha soil aeration apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a soil aeration apparatus 10 includes twotine-holder shafts 30 and 40 extending between opposing carriers 20 and22. The shafts 30 and 40 are rotatably mounted to the carriers 20 and 22such that each shaft may rotate 68 about its own axis. The shafts 30 and40 are positioned substantially parallel in the axial direction, andsoil aeration tines 50 extend from each shaft 30 and 40 in the radialdirection. The soil aeration tines 50 may penetrate and remove a portionof soil from a ground surface as is taught, for example, in U.S. Pat.No. 6,513,603 issued to Bjorge on Feb. 4, 2003, the contents of whichare herein incorporation by reference. Two non-centrally located supportshafts 24 and 26 also extend between the opposing carriers 20 and 22.The support shafts 24 and 26 are fixedly mounted to the carriers 20 and22 and provide mechanical support for the soil aeration apparatus 10when in operation. A gear system 60 is engaged with the tine-holdershafts 30 and 40 to cause rotation of the tine-holder shafts 30 and 40.The gear system 60 has a plurality of planetary gears 63 and 64 for eachsun gear 65. Each shaft 30 or 40 has a planetary gear 63 or 64 attachedthereto. In this embodiment, the sun gear 65 is positioned between theplanetary gears 63 and 64 and is engaged with the planetary gears 63 and64 using a drive chain 66. Because a plurality of planetary gears 63 and64 are operated using an individual sun gear 65, the bulkiness of thegear system 60 is advantageously reduced. Furthermore, because theapparatus 10 does not use a centrally located support shaft, thetine-holder shafts 30 and 40 may be positioned closer to one another,thus reducing the overall size of the apparatus 10.

Referring to FIG. 1 in more detail, bearings 32 and 42 may be used torotatably mount the shafts 30 and 40, respectively, to the carriers 20and 22. The bearings 32 and 42 may comprise ball bearings, rollerbearings, or bushings, and may provide access for a portion of theshafts 30 and 40 to extend through the carriers 20 and 22. The planetarygear 63 is axially aligned with the shaft 30 and fixedly mounted to theportion of the shaft 30 on the outer side of the carrier 20. Similarly,the planetary gear 64 is axially aligned with the shaft 40 and mountedto the portion of the shaft extending through the carrier 20. In thisembodiment, the planetary gears 63 and 64 are radially aligned with thesun gear 65 such that a single drive chain 66 is engaged with all threegears 63, 64, and 65. Briefly describing the operation of the gearsystem 60, the carriers 20 and 22 are motivated to rotate about acentral axis 21 using a drive means (not shown in FIG. 1). The sun gear65 is axially aligned with the central axis 21 but remains substantiallyfixed with respect to the central axis as the carriers 20 and 22 rotate.When the carriers 20 and 22 rotate, the tine-holder shafts 30 and 40 arecaused to revolve around the central axis 21. Likewise, the planetarygears 63 and 64 also revolve around the central axis 21. As such, theplanetary gears 63 and 64 revolve about the sun gear 65 in a direction28 as the drive chain 66 causes the planetary gears 63 and 64 to rotatein a direction 68. The motion of revolving 28 the shaft 30 or 40 aboutthe central axis 21 while rotating 68 the shaft 30 or 40 about its ownaxis causes the desired motion of the tines 50 to penetrate and remove aportion of soil from the ground surface.

Still referring to FIG. 1, the support shafts 24 and 26 are positionedbetween the carriers 20 and 22 and fixedly mounted to near the perimeterof each carrier 20 and 22. Because the support shafts 24 and 26 arenon-centrally located (e.g., offset from the central axis 21),tine-holder shafts 30 and 40 may be positioned closer to the centralaxis 21 without interference from the tines 50 hitting a centrallylocated shaft. Rather, the tine-holder shafts 30 and 40 may rotate inthe direction 68 as the tines 50 pass through the central axis 21without interference. The compact arrangement of shafts 30, 40, 24, and26 advantageously reduces the overall size of the soil aerationapparatus 10 in comparison to other apparatus that require thetine-holder shafts 30 and 40 to be spaced apart for clearance betweenthe revolving tines 50 and a centrally located support shaft.

Referring to FIG. 2, the soil aeration apparatus 10 may be installed ina frame 12. The frame 12 may have a safety panel 13 to prevent damage tothe tine-holder shafts 30 and 40 from debris and to protect a user fromthe moving tines 50 and tine-holder shafts 30 and 40. The frame 12 mayalso include side panels 14 to protect the gear system 60 from debris.In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, one side panel 14 is removed tobetter show the soil aeration apparatus within the frame 12. Optionally,the sun gear 65 may be attached to the side panel 14 (removed from theview show in FIG. 2) to maintain the sun gear 65 in a substantiallyfixed relationship with respect to the central axis 21. The carriers 20and 22 may be rotatably attached to the side panels 14 or other part ofthe frame 12 such that the carriers 20 and 22 may rotate about thecentral axis 21 while the frame 12 remains substantially fixed withrespect to the central axis 21. A set of wheels (not shown in FIG. 2)may be connected to the side panels 14 or other part of the frame 12.Additionally, the frame may include other components that enable theframe 12 to be attached to a tractor or other vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 3, another embodiment of a soil aeration apparatus 110includes four tine-holder shafts 130, 135, 140, and 145 extendingbetween two carriers 120 and 122. Soil aeration tines 50 extend in asubstantially radial direction from each shaft 130, 135, 140, and 145and are capable of penetrating and removing a portion of soil from theground surface. The shafts 130, 135, 140, and 145 extend substantiallyparallel to one another in the axial direction between the carriers 120and 122. The shafts 130, 135, 140, and 145 are rotatably mounted to thecarriers 120 and 122 using bearings 132, 137, 142, and 147,respectively. As such, each tine-holder shaft 130, 135, 140, or 145 mayrotate about its own axis in a direction 168 while all the shafts 130,135, 140, and 145 revolve in a direction 128 around a central axis 121.The bearings 132, 137, 142, and 147 may comprise ball bearings, rollerbearings, or bushings, and may provide access for a portion of theshafts 130, 135, 140, and 145 to extend through the carriers 120 and122.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the soil aeration apparatus 110 includes agear system 160 having a plurality of planetary gears 163, 164 (or 173,174) for each sun gear 165 (or 175). In this embodiment, planetary gears163 and 164 interact with sun gear 165. Planetary gear 163 is axiallyaligned with and fixedly mounted to tine-holder shaft 130. Likewise,planetary gear 164 is axially aligned with and fixedly mounted totine-holder shaft 140. The sun gear 165 is axially aligned with thecentral axis 121 but remains substantially fixed with respect to thecentral axis 121 as the carriers 120 and 122 rotate about the centralaxis 121. A drive chain 166 is engaged with the sun gear 165 and thecorresponding planetary gears 163 and 164, which causes the planetarygears 163 and 164 to rotate in the direction 168 as the planetary gears163 and 164 revolve about the sun gear 165 in the direction 128. Thisrotational 168 and revolving 128 motion of the planetary gears 163 and164 causes the tine-holder shafts 130 and 140 to move in a desired pathfor penetrating and removing portions soil from the ground surface.Planetary gears 173 and 174 interact with sun gear 175 by way of a drivechain 176 in a manner similar to that of sun gear 165 and planetarygears 163 and 164. The interaction of planetary gears 173 and 174 withthe sun gear 175 causes the tine-holder shafts 135 and 145 to have arotational 168 and revolving 128 motion similar to that of tine-holdershafts 130 and 140. The gear system 160 provides the desired motion ofthe tine-holder shafts 130, 135, 140, and 145 without using individualsun gear and planetary gear for each tine-holder shaft (e.g., fourtine-holder shafts, four sun gears, and four planetary gears). Rather,the gear system 160 operates a plurality of planetary gears from eachsun gear, which advantageously reduces the bulkiness of the gear systemof the soil aeration apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 5, the soil aeration apparatus 110 may be installed ina frame 112 that transports the apparatus over a ground surface. Theframe may include a safety panel 113 and side panels 114, as previouslydescribed in connection with FIG. 2. In this embodiment, a side panel114 is removed to better show the soil aeration apparatus 110 housed inthe frame 112. In addition, the frame may include wheels 116 and aconnection means 117 so that the frame 112 may be attached to a tractoror other vehicle and moved over the ground surface.

Briefly referring again to FIG. 3, the soil aeration apparatus 110 mayinclude a support shaft 124 along the central axis 121. This supportshaft 124 provides mechanical stability for the soil aeration apparatus110 when in operation. Optionally, the soil aeration apparatus 110 mayoperate without a centrally located support shaft 124. For example, thetine-holder shafts 130, 135, 140, and 145 may be rotatably mounted tothe carriers 120 and 122 so as to provide sufficient mechanicalstability for the soil aeration apparatus 110 without the need for thesupport shaft 124. In such a case, the tine-holder shafts 130, 135, 140,and 145 would also serve as non-centrally located support shafts.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the size of the soil aeration apparatus may beadvantageously reduced by eliminating the centrally located supportshaft. The soil aeration apparatus 10 (also shown in FIG. 1) includesnon-centrally located support shafts 24 and 26. As such, the tine-holdershafts 30 and 40 may be positioned closer to the central axis 21 withoutthe need for clearance space for the tines 50. The tines 50 on one shaft30 may be staggered from tines 50 on another shaft 40 such that thetines 50 may revolve about the tine-holder shaft 30 without interferencefrom other tines 50. In certain embodiments, there may be a need formechanical support from a centrally located support shaft 124. In suchcases, the tine-holder shafts may be sufficiently spaced apart such thatthe tines 50 may revolve about one tine-holder shaft withoutinterference from a centrally located support shaft or a neighboringtine-holder shaft. For example, the soil aeration apparatus 110 (alsoshown in FIG. 3) includes a centrally located support shaft 124 andtine-holder shafts 130, 135, 140, and 145 that are spaced apart toprovide clearance for the tines 50. The size of the soil aerationapparatus 110 may be reduced, however, if the centrally located supportshaft 124 is eliminated and the tine-holder shafts are positioned closerto one another.

In operation, the soil aeration apparatus 10 or 110 may be attached to aframe 12 or 112 that guides the apparatus 10 or 110 over a groundsurface. In some embodiments, the frame may be attachable to a tractoror other vehicle such that the apparatus is towed behind the vehicleover a ground surface. In other embodiments, the frame is configured tobe manually pushed by a user over the ground surface. A drive means,such as a spinning drive shaft that causes the carriers to rotate, maybe attached to the frame 12 or 112 and the soil aeration apparatus 10 or110 to produce the desired revolving and rotation motion of theplanetary gears and the tine-holder shafts. Alternatively, the drivemeans may comprise the carrier 20 or 120 being forced to rotate as itrolls along the ground surface.

Referring to FIGS. 7A-C, the soil aeration tines 50 may operate topenetrate a ground surface 80 and remove a portion of soil 82. Theinteraction of the gear system 60 and the tine-holder shafts 30 and 40causes the revolving 28 and rotation 68 motions of the tine-holdershafts 30 and 40, which in turn, causes the desired motion of theindividual tines 50. Notably, the direction of rotation 68 and thedirection revolution 28 may be different from that depicted in FIGS.7A-C, depending on a number of factors, such as the type of aerationtine 50 used with the soil aeration apparatus 10. (The operation of thesoil aeration tines 50 is described with respect to the embodiment ofthe soil aeration apparatus 10 and gear system 60 of FIG. 1, but it isunderstood that the description also applies to other embodiments of thesoil aeration apparatus, such as the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.) Thegear system 60 is configured to orient the tine 50 at an acute angle tothe ground surface 80 when the tine-holder shaft 30 is revolved 28around the center axis 21 to a point near the ground surface 80.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the soil aeration tine 50 penetrates a patch ofsoil 82 at an acute angle 84 with respect to the ground surface 80. Inthis embodiment, one or more soil fracturing surfaces 52 on the tine 50penetrate the soil at an acute angle, which causes the soil proximatethe aeration tine 50 to fracture upward rather than compact. Referringto FIG. 7B, even though the tine-holder shaft 30 continues to revolve 28around the central axis 21, the soil aeration tine 50 is rotated 68 bythe motion of the planetary gear 63 attached to the tine-holder shaft30. The sweeping action 56 from the revolving 28 and rotational 68motions forms an aeration pocket 86 in the region penetrated by the soilaeration tine 50. As shown in FIG. 7C, the tine-holder shaft 30continues to revolve 28 around the central axis 21, which causes thetine 50 to be pulled from the soil 82 even as the tine 50 continues torotate 68. The removal action 58 from the revolving 28 and rotational 68motions completes the formation of the aeration pocket 86. In thisembodiment, the tine 50 includes a cutting tube 55 that cuts and removesa plug 88 of soil 82 during the sweeping 56 and removal 58 actions. Thepenetration 54, sweeping 56, and removal 58 actions are repeated as thesubsequent tine-holder shaft 40 is revolved 28 near the ground surface80 and the corresponding planetary gear 64 causes the tines 50 to beoriented at an acute angle to the ground surface 80.

Various embodiments of the gear system for the soil aeration apparatus110 may be used to advantageously reduce the bulkiness of the apparatus110. Referring to FIG. 8, a gear system 260 may be implemented to causethe desired motion of the tine-holder shafts 130, 135, 140, and 145. Inthis embodiment, sun gear 265 is aligned with the central axis 121 andremains substantially fixed with respect to the central axis 121 even asthe carrier 120 rotates about the central axis 121. The sun gear 265 isnot necessarily positioned between the planetary gears 263 and 264, yetthe gears 263, 264, and 265 are radially aligned so that the drive chain266 may engage the gears 263, 264, and 265. Similarly, planetary gears273 and 274 interact with another sun gear (positioned behind the firstsun gear 265 and not shown in FIG. 8) that is axially aligned with thecentral axis 121. Alternatively, the drive chains 266 and 276 may engagethe same sun gear 265, depending on the axial thickness of the sun gear265 and the type of drive chain. As shown in FIG. 8, while the planetarygears 263, 264, 273, and 274 move around the corresponding sun gears inthe direction of revolution 128, each planetary gear 263, 264, 273, or274 is caused to rotate about its own axis in the direction of rotation168. Because each sun gear is used to operate a plurality of planetarygears (rather than a one-to-one correspondence), the bulkiness of thesoil aeration apparatus and gear system may be reduced.

In another embodiment, the gear system may include planetary gears thatare indirectly engaged with a sun gear. Referring to FIG. 9, a drivechain 366 engages a first planetary gear 362 and a sun gear 365. Asecondary drive chain 376 is engaged with the first planetary gear 362and other planetary gears 361, 363, and 364, but not with the sun gear365. The sun gear is axially aligned with the central axis 121 andremains substantially fixed with respect to the central axis 121 even asthe carrier 120 rotates about the central axis 121. When the carrier 120rotates about the central axis 121, the planetary gears 361, 362, 363,and 364 revolve around the sun gear 365 in the direction 128. The drivechain 366 causes the planetary gear 363 to rotate about its own axis inthe direction 168. This rotation of planetary gear 362 causes the drivechain 376 to rotate the other planetary gears 361, 363, and 364 in thesame rotational direction 168. As such, the more compact gear system 360drives four planetary gears 361, 362, 363, and 364 using an individualsun gear 365.

Certain embodiments described above show a gear system positioned on theone side of the soil aeration apparatus. Other embodiments, however, mayinclude two gear systems—one gear system positioned on each side of theapparatus. For example, one gear system may be positioned on the outerside of one carrier 20 or 120, and a second gear system (substantiallymirrored to the first gear system) may be positioned on the outer sideof the opposing carrier 22 or 122.

In addition, the soil aeration tines 50 are not limited to theembodiment shown in FIGS. 7A-C. Rather, the tines 50 may variousconfigurations, such as fracturing surfaces, spikes, aeration tubes,aeration blades, or a combination thereof, depending on the soil textureor other factors. Referring to FIG. 10, for example, the tines mayinclude aeration blades 150 that penetrate and cut the soil withoutnecessarily removing a “plug” of soil from the ground. The aerationblade may include a tip 152, a concave edge 154, and a convex edge 156to penetrate and cut the soil while reducing the amount of soilcompaction. As such, the ground surface is not littered with plugs ofsoil after operation of the soil aeration apparatus.

Furthermore, the direction of rotation 68 or 168 and the direction ofrevolution 28 or 128 are not limited to the embodiments shown in FIGS.1, 3, 4, 7A-C, 8, and 9. For example, the tines 50 that comprise soilaeration blades may be operated with the direction of rotation 68 or 168and/or the direction of revolution 28 or 128 being reversed from what isshown.

Further yet, the gear system may use an engaging member other than adrive chain to engage the gears in the gear system. For example, theengaging member may comprise a cable, belt, linked chain, or the like.Accordingly, the contact surface of the gears may be configured toappropriately engage the selected type of engaging member.

Moreover, the gear system of the soil aeration apparatus may have anynumber of sun gears, and is not limited to embodiments having one or twosun gears. Accordingly, the gear system may include any number ofplanetary gears such that each sun gear engages a plurality of planetarygears.

In another embodiment, the soil aeration apparatus may have anon-centrally located support shaft that is positioned concentricallywith a tine-holder shaft. In such an embodiment, the tine-holder shaftmay be rotatably mounted to the carrier and coupled to a planetary gearwhile an inner support shaft is fixedly coupled with respect to theopposing carriers. This arrangement of the tine-holder shaft and thenon-centrally located support shaft provides support for the soilaeration apparatus. Moreover, because the support shaft is not occupyingspace outside of the tine-holder shaft, an increased number oftine-holder shafts may be mounted to the carriers. Alternatively, thenon-centrally located support shafts may be mounted to the carriersalong the outer perimeter of the carriers. For example, in theembodiments where the carriers are circular, the support shafts may bevery thin members having a concave surface that matches the curve of thecarrier's circumference. This concave surface may be mounted to thecarrier along a portion of the circumference such that the non-centrallylocated support shaft does not occupy a significant amount of area onthe opposing faces of the carriers.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described.Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the followingclaims.

1. A soil aeration apparatus, comprising: a frame connectable to atowing vehicle for moving over a ground surface; a carrier rotatablyattached to the frame such that the carrier is rotatable about a centralaxis; a plurality of tine-holder shafts rotatably coupled to the carrierand extending substantially parallel to the central axis, each shafthaving one or more curved aeration tines attached thereto; and a supportmember coupled to the carrier and spaced apart from the central axis;wherein the plurality of tine-holder shafts are spaced apart from thecentral axis such that the curved aeration tines pass through thecentral axis during operation without interference from another tine orshaft.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a gear systemthat urges the curved aeration tines to move in a compound motion as thecurved aeration tines form aeration pockets in a ground surface.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 2, wherein the gear system drives each of the curvedtines to fully rotate about an axis of a respective tine-holder shaftwhile the tine-holder shafts are revolved about the central axis.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein when the carrier rotates about the centralaxis: the tine-holder shafts are operative to revolve around the centralaxis, a first tine-holder shaft is operative to rotate about a firstaxis, and a second tine-holder shaft is operative to rotate about thesecond axis.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the gear systemcomprises a planetary gear coupled to each tine-holder shaft and a sungear axially aligned with the central axis.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5,further comprising a coupling member to engage each sun gear with two ormore planetary gears, wherein the coupling member includes a chain,cable, or belt.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the curvedaeration tines comprises a curved blade portion.
 8. The apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the curved blade portion of each aeration tine isoperative to penetrate into a ground surface to form a soil aerationpocket wherein when the carrier rotates about the central axis.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 7, wherein the curved blade portion of each aerationtine comprises a concave blade edge and a convex blade edge that extendtoward a tip portion.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, the support memberis fixedly mounted to the carrier and spaced apart from the plurality oftine-holder shafts such that the support member and the plurality oftine-holder shafts revolve about the central axis when the carrierrotates about the central axis.
 11. A soil aeration apparatus,comprising: a frame connectable to a towing vehicle for moving over aground surface; a carrier rotatably attached to the frame such that thecarrier is rotatable about a central axis; a plurality of tine-holdershafts rotatably coupled to the carrier and extending substantiallyparallel to the central axis, each shaft having one or more curvedaeration tines attached thereto; and a support member coupled to thecarrier and spaced apart from the central axis, wherein the supportmember comprises a non-centrally located support shaft that is offsetfrom the central axis and that provides mechanical support between thecarrier and a second opposing carrier; wherein the plurality oftine-holder shafts are spaced apart from the central axis such that thecurved aeration tines pass through the central axis during operationwithout interference from another tine or shaft.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 10, the plurality of tine-holder shafts extend from the carrier inan axial direction generally parallel to the central axis while theaeration tines extend from the plurality of tine-holder shafts in adirection generally transverse to the central axis so that the curvedaeration tines pass through the central axis during operation.
 13. Theapparatus of claim 11, further comprising a gear system that urges thecurved aeration tines to move in a compound motion as the curvedaeration tines form aeration pockets in a ground surface.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 13, wherein the gear system drives each of the curvedtines to fully rotate about a longitudinal axis of a respectivetine-holder shaft while the tine-holder shafts are revolved about thecentral axis.
 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the curvedaeration tines comprises a curved blade portion having a concave bladeedge and a convex blade edge.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein thenon-centrally located support shaft is fixedly mounted to the carrier sothat the support shaft revolves about the central axis of the carrier.17. A method for aerating a ground surface, comprising: towing a soilaeration apparatus over a ground surface, the soil aeration apparatusincluding: a carrier that is rotatable about a central axis, first andsecond tine-holder shafts that are rotatably coupled to the carrier, oneor more curved aeration tines coupled to each of the tine-holder shafts,a non-centrally located support member fixedly coupled to the carrier;and driving the curved aeration tines to move in a compound motion whileone or more of the curved aeration tines penetrate into the groundsurface to form aeration pockets in the ground surface, wherein thefirst and second tine-holder shafts are offset from the central axis ofthe carrier such that the curved aeration tines pass through the centralaxis without interference when driven to move in the compound motion.18. The method of claim 17, wherein the non-centrally located supportmember is offset from the central axis so that the curved aeration tinespass through the central axis without interference.
 19. The method ofclaim 17, wherein the curved aeration tines are driven to move in thecompound motion by a gear system that urges each of the tine-holdershafts to rotate while the tine-holder shafts are revolved about thecentral axis.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the gear systemcomprises a planetary gear coupled to each tine-holder shaft and a sungear axially aligned with the central axis.
 21. The method of claim 17,wherein driving the curved aeration tines further comprises penetratingcurved blade portions of the curved aeration tines into the groundsurface.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the curved blade portion ofeach aeration tine comprises a concave blade edge and a convex bladeedge that extend toward a tip portion.
 23. The method of claim 17,further comprising connecting a frame of the soil aeration apparatus toa vehicle for towing the soil aeration apparatus over the groundsurface.